Cowboy Will Rides Again

I love Will's passion.

He is passionate about baseball. He is passionate about pirates.

He is passionate about cowboys.

Some might call it "obsessed."

We prefer "passionate."

About 9 months ago, Will first began his love affair with all things cowboy. We took him to the store to pick out his first pair of cowboy boots and left with me in tears.

We couldn't find any to fit over his prosthetics.

Not one to give up easily, we tried other stores.

No luck.

Friends and family got creative and began looking into custom bootmakers (for a 2 year old!) and I would often get random texts when people would have an idea of how to make it work.

In the meantime, we kept telling Will that he was a real cowboy in his heart - he didn't need boots to be a real cowboy.

Then a friend passed on her little boy's boots and gave us permission to destroy them if necessary to make them work.

Will got creative and figured out he could climb on his bouncy horse and then slip his feet into the boots beside the horse. This worked fine until he began to bounce and his feet would inevitably slide out, knock the boots over, & cause a round of tears and disappointment.

I envied others who could easily accomodate their child's desire to play dress up. (We're still struggling with his fireman boots.)

Sometimes, what seems like such a simple, "normal" thing becomes an exhausting, detailed process when you have a child with a disability.

We just wanted him to be able to play cowboy.

So, recently, R found a bootmaker/repairman who was willing to give it a shot. R snuck Will's old prosthetics and boots out the door one morning and Mr. Rudy got busy.

4 fittings later, 3 stretchings in various locations, & zippers down the back,

Will now has his first pair of cowboy boots.

On Friday, when we picked them up and they fit, there was lots of squealing and "Yay-Haws" as he "galloped" all over Rudy's shop.

He has hardly taken them off since.

I had no idea it would be such a process just to get some cowboy boots for Will. I don't take his joy at being able to wear them for granted.

And there's something about a little boy in cowboy boots that just does something to my heart.

Exploring with G-Dad in their boots & shorts

We tell "figment" stories at our house - true stories from when Will was just a "figment of our imagination." Sometimes when R tells a figment story, he mentions that Will was a very teeny tiny figment - I guess as a girl I imagined my kids from a very early age! At the age of 5, R wasn't exactly dreaming of fatherhood! (Will even makes up his own figment stories sometime which crack us up!) He loves figment stories and requests some of them over and over. He always listens raptly and I must admit, it's been good for our marriage during this difficult summer to recall simpler times from before kids and share those stories with Will.

Will's G-Dad grew up on a ranch and was a real cowboy & Will loves hearing figment stories about his Grandad's childhood. I love knowing he is learning

about his history at such an early age.

Around the house, Will rarely has a shirt on. I love those back muscles!

A neighbor saw Will playing outside on Saturday and he could hardly wait to show off his new boots! She loaned us this horse that she and her husband built as well as some cowboy books. Will named him "Bullseye" and loves holding "rodeos" while riding him in our home now!

Kick up your boots!

Lassoing Mommy - whom he deemed a cow.

(thank you very much, sweet Will. Please do not refer to your 8.5 months pregnant mom as a cow ever again.)

The other day, Will was wearing only a shirt & his boots/prosthetics... and when I suggested he put on his underwear at least, he informed me that "Mommy, cowboys don't need underwear to ride a horse."

Uh huh. Let's talk after you ride a horse without your underwear on & see how you feel then, shall we?